Jesus Is Alive!
Jesus died for us — and He rose again! He is alive!
📖 Luke 24:6
Memory Verse
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”
— John 11:25
🎬 Videos
🎵 Intro Theme
🎵 Worship Song 1
🎵 Worship Song 2
📖 Bible Story
🎵 Closing Song
📥 Downloads
💬 Conversation
- ✦
The stone was rolled away and Jesus was not there — He was alive! How do you think Mary felt when she heard her name? (Surprised, overjoyed — everything changed in an instant.)
- ✦
Jesus said 'Do not be afraid.' He says the same thing to us today. Is there anything you feel worried or scared about? Jesus is alive — He is with us!
- ✦
Because Jesus is alive, death is not the end. That is the most amazing news ever! How does knowing Jesus is alive make you feel?
📚 Session Resources
Everything you need to run this session. Expand each section below.
📋Leader GuideStep-by-step
Room Setup
- ✓Set up soft play mat or rug in the centre for circle time
- ✓Queue HTK YouTube videos — The Stone Rolled Away and Easter Joy — on projector or tablet before children arrive
- ✓Central prop: an empty box decorated as a tomb — a shoebox or small box covered in grey or brown paper, with a round 'stone' cutout or grey card circle propped in front of it. Inside: a folded white cloth (the burial cloth left behind). The box must be empty.
- ✓Optional: butterflies — paper butterfly cutouts or decorations hung around the room to create a sense of transformation and new life
- ✓Optional: white candle (unlit) on the table as a symbol of light and resurrection — check fire safety with your venue
- ✓Print activity sheets — one per child
- ✓Set out crayons at the table
- ✓Set up welcome area — name badges, sign-in sheet, parent handouts printed
- ✓Leader note: This session begins in quiet and ends in joy. Do not rush the sad beginning — children need to feel the weight before they feel the release. The silence before 'Mary!' is the most important moment in the script. Hold it. Then let everything explode.
Session Steps
Greet each child warmly by name. Soft HTK music playing. If children ask about the grey box, you can say: 'I am going to tell you about that in a little while — it is part of an amazing story.' Build curiosity. Gather to the circle when most have arrived.
Play The Stone Rolled Away followed by Easter Joy. The Stone Rolled Away is an Easter celebration song — let children move, clap, and dance. Easter Joy continues the celebration and builds the joyful energy. By the end of worship, the room should be energised and joyful.
Use the story script below. The empty box is your central prop — children can see it throughout. The key moment is Beat 4: the silence before 'Mary!' Do not rush it. Everything hinges on that word. End with the core truth — 3 times, with the biggest energy of the whole session.
Use the prayer script below. This week the prayer includes a personal name moment — if possible, say each child's name as you lead the prayer. See the script closing note for how to do this powerfully.
CORE: Give each child their activity sheet and crayons. GAME: Play 'He Is Risen!' (see below). PLUS: Butterfly craft if you have materials.
Give each family the parent handout. As each child leaves, say their name clearly and warmly: '[Name] — Jesus is alive. He knows your name. Happy Easter!' Mirror the moment of the story — you are being Jesus calling their name as they go out into the world.
Safeguarding
- • No child leaves without their registered adult
- • Two volunteers present at all times
- • If a child asks about death during the session, respond gently: 'Yes, Jesus did die — and then He came back to life. That is what makes Easter so amazing.' Never avoid the question — but do not dwell on it either.
- • Any concerns → follow your church's safeguarding procedure
📖Bible MomentSlides
👉 Leader
Gather children on the mat. The empty box-tomb is in the centre of the circle, stone propped against it. Speak quietly to begin — almost in a whisper. This story starts in sadness. The contrast with the ending makes the joy even greater.
🙏Prayer Guide3–5 min
Say: 'We are going to do something very special in our prayer today. Listen carefully — because when I say a name, I want that person to know: Jesus knows YOUR name. He is alive — and He knows YOU.' Then begin the prayer. At the line 'You know my name', pause and quietly say each child's name one by one if group size allows — or invite children to whisper their own name to God.
LEADER SAYS — CHILDREN REPEAT:
“Dear Jesus...”
“You died for us.”
“And You came back to life.”
“You are ALIVE!”
“You know my name.”
“You love me.”
“I love You too, Jesus.”
AMEN! [The biggest, most joyful Amen of the whole year — arms up, voices loud.] Tip: The moment of saying each child's name during 'You know my name' is the most powerful thing you will do in this session. Do not skip it. Even if it takes two minutes. Each child hearing their name in that moment is a small echo of what Mary heard at the tomb. It will stay with them.
🎨ActivitiesCore · Game · Plus
Colouring Sheets — Easter Special
Print A4, black and white. One sheet per child. Easter Special — consider putting completed sheets in a simple envelope with a handwritten note: 'Jesus Is Alive! — from Sparklers'. These mark the most important day in the Christian year.
Sheet 1 — The Empty Tomb (Tobi and Finn)
Teaches: Jesus is alive — and He knows every child by name.
What's on the sheet
Tobi and Finn stand at the open tomb entrance, looking inside with expressions of pure wonder and shock. The stone is rolled to one side. Light streams from inside the empty tomb. Words: 'He Is Not Here — He Is Risen!' Bold, dramatic, wonder-filled. Clean contrast between the dark rock exterior and the brilliant light from inside.
How to use it
Give each child the sheet. Say: 'Tobi and Finn went to the tomb — and it was EMPTY! Jesus was not there. He was ALIVE! Can you colour the light coming out of the tomb as bright as possible — yellows, golds, whites?'
Sheet 2 — He Said Her Name (Lily as Mary)
Teaches: Jesus is alive — and He knows every child by name.
What's on the sheet
Lily (as Mary) is turning around, arms outstretched, face filled with overwhelming joy — tears on her cheeks but a huge smile. A warm light surrounds the scene. Words: 'Jesus Is Alive! He Knows My Name!' Joyful, emotional, celebratory. The body language communicates the moment of recognition.
How to use it
Give each child the sheet. Say: 'Jesus said Mary's name — and she knew it was Him. He is alive! Can you colour Lily's face so you can see how happy and amazed she is? Use your brightest colours for the light around her.'
He Is Risen!
Teaches: The Resurrection is the most joyful news ever — and Jesus knows every child by name.
How to play
- ›No materials needed. Children stand in the space.
- ›Leader calls out: 'The tomb is...' — children respond: 'EMPTY!'
- ›Leader calls out: 'Jesus is...' — children respond: 'ALIVE!'
- ›Repeat 3–4 times, getting louder and faster each time.
- ›Then: children run freely around the space. When the leader calls a child's name, that child freezes, throws their arms up, and shouts: 'Jesus knows my name!'
- ›Everyone else cheers for that child.
- ›Continue until every child has been called by name and celebrated.
- ›Final moment: leader calls all children back together — 'The tomb is...' EMPTY! 'Jesus is...' ALIVE! One final enormous cheer.
Leader tip
The name-calling section is the theological heart of the game — mirror the moment Jesus called Mary's name. Say each child's name clearly, warmly, and with full attention. The cheer that follows is their community celebrating them. This is not just a game. Make every child feel completely seen.
The call-and-response builds the central truth into the children's bodies — they will remember 'He is RISEN!' and 'ALIVE!' long after they leave. The name-calling mirrors the resurrection moment: Jesus called one person's name and everything changed. Here, every child gets that moment.
Craft — Butterfly Craft
Teaches: Jesus burst out of the tomb with new life — the butterfly shows us what resurrection looks like.
Materials
- ·Coffee filter papers or white card cut into butterfly wing shapes (one pair of wings per child)
- ·Washable markers or watercolour paint in bright colours
- ·Wooden pegs or clothespins (one per child — for the butterfly body)
- ·Pipe cleaners cut in half (for antennae)
- ·A marker for the leader
Instructions
Children colour their butterfly wings with bright, joyful colours — no rules, the more vibrant the better. Gather the wings in the centre using the peg to form the butterfly body. Twist pipe cleaner around the top for antennae. The leader writes on the peg body: 'Jesus Is Alive!' Say: 'A caterpillar wraps itself up — it seems like the end. But then it BURSTS OUT as a butterfly. Something completely new. That is what happened to Jesus at Easter. He burst out of the tomb — ALIVE — completely new. The butterfly reminds us: with Jesus, the end is never really the end.' Send home with the family.
🏠Parent HandoutPrint or share
Today in Sparklers we told the most important story ever told — the Resurrection. We used the account of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb (John 20:11–18). Jesus appeared to Mary and spoke her name — and everything changed. We helped children understand that Easter is not about eggs or chocolate, but about the most astonishing moment in all of history: Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive. And He knows every child's name.
Core Truth
“Jesus is alive — and He knows my name!”
I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. — John 11:25
Talk About It at Home
When your child sees a butterfly this Easter
Say: 'Do you remember what the butterfly means? A caterpillar goes in, something new comes out. Jesus did that — He went into the tomb, and burst out ALIVE. The butterfly is an Easter reminder.' Let them tell you the story back.
At bedtime this Easter
Read John 20:11–18 together. When you reach the moment Jesus says 'Mary!' — pause, and say your child's name instead. '[Child's name].' Watch their face. Then say: 'Jesus knows your name like that. He is alive — and He knows YOU.' This is the most powerful thing you can do this Easter.
Prayer for parents
Dear Jesus, thank You for Easter. Thank You that You rose again — that the tomb is empty and You are alive. Help [child's name] know that You know their name, that You see them, and that You love them with a love that is stronger than death itself. May the joy of Easter live in our home all year. Amen.